Young West Ham United fan George and his family received an incredible Christmas surprise as their wish to visit the training ground came with an added, special present.
Eight-year-old George Smith, along with his big brother Charlie and dad Paul, posted a Christmas Wish into the West Ham wishes post box at the Stadium Store to visit the men’s first team training facility at Rush Green.
George was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, on the bottom of his right foot in late 2020, requiring 14 cycles of chemotherapy and a partial amputation of his foot to remove the tumour.
Sadly, pathology tests showed that the chemotherapy had not been as effective as hoped, meaning an amputation of George’s right leg up to his knee was required in December 2022.
George and his family were unable to attend the UEFA Europa Conference League victory parade in June as he continued his recovery. As such, part of the Smith family’s visit to the training ground came the opportunity to take a photograph with West Ham’s latest trophy.
What George, Charlie and Paul did not know, however, was that Jarrod Bowen would be there to meet them.
The brothers were both left speechless as the England international surprised them by posing, unknown to the siblings, in their photos with the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy, before spending time with the family.
George said: “I wrote a letter asking to go to the training ground, put it in the post box in the shop and we got to come here.
“My favourite player is Jarrod Bowen. He scores lots of goals. I was so surprised to meet him.”
The surprises did not stop there though, as Lucas Paquetá, Emerson Palmieri, Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals also came by to meet the family and take photographs on a special afternoon.
There was one final present for George too, as Bowen presented him with a gift from the men’s first team squad; tickets to watch the Hammers in action in Saturday’s Premier League match against Manchester United.
Charlie said: “This has been amazing. It has been really cool.
“When George was diagnosed with cancer, it was unexpected and it was really emotional. He is the reason we’re West Ham fans. He got me into football too and we all went to the TSC match earlier this year. We all cheer on West Ham together.”
“To be able to do something like this is absolutely amazing,” said dad Paul. “When we got the email about making a Christmas wish with West Ham, the boys got very excited. They are both amazing lads.
“I cannot thank everyone at West Ham United enough for this. It has meant the absolute world to me and the boys. We’ve all been through a lot and it’s been so tough. For George to go through that, and Charlie to go through it with him, they’ve shown how amazing they are, and they definitely deserved a huge treat.”
